Google strengthens Offers with acquisition of German DailyDeal

Along with its unofficial Wallet launch, Google has recently acquired German Groupon competitor DailyDeal. The purchase will most likely add to the girth of Google’s own Groupon counterpart, Google Offers.

Launched in December 2009 and founded by two brothers, the German deals service operates in Austria, Switzerland and of course Germany—the company also had plans to expand into Scandinavia Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. DailyDeal says in the first quarter of 2011 it sold roughly 250,000 coupons and predicts it will make 30 to 40 million Euros by the end of the year. DailyDeals confirmed on its website it would be working with the Offers team.

In a statement, Google said, “As more and more people go online to find the latest, most relevant deals, we’re exploring new ways to help consumers get the best local deals out there. The DailyDeal team has an incredible track record in this space, and we look forward to working with them.”

Google must have high hopes for DailyDeals. According to the German newspaper FAZ (via Business Insider), the purchase price Google agreed upon was somewhere between $150 million and $200 million. Quite a nice sum to walk away with for a company less than two years old.

Earlier this month Google acquired the long-running location rating service Zagat, to bolster what was lost with the Yelp drop. Zagat may have been a move to improve Offers. Google also purchased the Dealmap in early August in order to help in the chase after Groupon.

Google Offers was launched earlier this year in June and is in beta right now. The service is currently live in New York City, Portland, San Francisco, Austin, Washington D.C., Denver, Boston, and Seattle. TNW believes the new purchase of the European DailyDeal reveals Google’s plan to branch out into Europe.